We Need To Honor Chris Kyle’s Memory

Yesterday, RF asked the question, “Where is Chris Kyle’s headstone?” After the comments got particularly nasty, the entire thread was pulled and I’m glad it was. But I’m also glad TTAG asked the queston, because Chris Kyle deserves a headstone. In truth though, I should have been the one to write the article, and ask the question. I visit Chris’s grave site about once a week, and I have since just after he died. It’s close to my office and for the first year after he was murdered, it was pretty rare that I saw anyone else there. That’s normal, that was OK . . .

On special occasions I would see people — Veterans Day, Memorial Day, the first anniversary of his death — and almost all of the time that I would visit, there would be some kind of flowers and usually some empty brass laying there as well. I would regulary send photos of those gifts to some of his other friends and brothers in arms. I hope it gave them some joy and peace to know that Chris was being remembered. They usually said that it did.

After the first year though, I wondered when he would get a headstone, and more and more of those same friends asked that question.

Then the movie came out. And now there isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t see someone else there at the grave site. This year, at the second anniversary of his death, there was literally a line to his grave. And that is more than OK, that is outstanding. That is the display of a grateful nation honoring one of its sons. And I hope that outpouring of caring gives the entire Kyle family some comfort.

But the question that I overheard — and RF was there this year to hear it, too — was “Where is his headstone?” After Two years, it’s the question I’m asking as well.

Chris’ grave site isn’t private and his memorial was anything but. Heck, the service was held in the Dallas Cowboys’ statium, and he deserved that. He had an epic funeral procession that shut down Interstate 35 from Dallas to Austin, and would have been envied by the greatest Viking chief and he damn sure deserved that as well.

He wasn’t buried in a quiet, secluded private lot. He was burried on public land in the most honored place that the state of Texas can provide, the Texas State Cemetery, and he deserved every bit of that too. And he deserves a headstone.

I’ve seen quite a few service members both old and young at Chris’ site. In talking to some of them, they go there for much the same reason I do. To say thank you. There are a few of us who know the aegis of security that sniper overwatch provides. Chris gave that care to the soldiers, sailors, and marines he was tasked to provide security for, and for some of us, he still provides that today.

I think that is what provides comfort to so many of the people that go there to visit him. But they, like me, are troubled by the lack of what seems like a proper memorial for such a man, a man who firmly belived it was his responsibity to protect the lives of his countrymen, and sacrificed to carry out that responsiblity.

There are many reasons that the family may have chosen to not put up a headstone yet. Some people have discounted that the issue may be financial, thinking that Taya Kyle is somehow rolling in cash. I have no evidence to support that notion. Chris was not a wealthy man, not by any means, and didn’t leave his wife and kids sitting on a nest egg. Not only that, but Governor Jesse Ventura was awarded a very sizeable amount of money in his lawsuit against the Kyle estate. So it may be that the family lacks the funds to provide what they feel would be an appropriate marker. And if that is the case, I hope this web site and this post would help with that need.

Another reason that some have proposed is the fear of vandalism. It would be so shameful for our nation that something like that would ever could happen, and I admit I had not thought of it until it was mentioned here. However, vandals could deface his grave now, and have not. Also, the gravesite is behind a high fence, a wall, and is guarded by the Texas Department of Public Safety. And if anyone were foolish enough to deface Chris’s grave, they had might as well dig their own. I’ll loan them a tractor to do it.

Finally, his headstone may just not be there out of the family’s sorrow. I can certainly understand that, I think anyone can. But every week people go to see him to pay thier respects. I think we use that phrase, “to pay respects” often, but I really see that when people go to see Chris. The last time I was there, a man had driven from Indiana to see his grave and was surprised to find that a temporary marker was all that was there.

I know that Chris is gone, everyone visiting him knows that. But right now, what is left there is a small temporary marker, with his name and his picture, fading more and more every day. I am afraid our nation’s memory of Chris will fade along with it, and all that people will remember is Bradley Cooper and a movie.

If it is out of need that the Kyle family can not put up a deserving marker, I will certainly volunteer my money to help. I would hope that many others in our nation would do the same.

If it is out of fear, I would hope that Texas can guard our hero at least as well as he guarded us.

If it is out of sorrow, I would hope that the Kyle family takes comfort in the people who visit him out of duty, respect, and love.

comments

We do need a statue , we did for all our other wars , the civil War, WW1.WW2 etc. Come on Vet. groups get something started for a nice statue , it could even be in a park or other public place. I would support that…

Might not earn me friends but I’m pretty solidly ambivalent on the subject of Chris Kyle. Perhaps even a bit negative on him given a number of issues that I won’t bother going into here.

But that said defacing or steal the man’s tomb stone is NOT acceptable. And I can only hope that the thief is caught and punished. Or failing that replacing monument with something even bigger and better.

Well you know at the end of the day I don’t get two raging shaits about Chris Kyle. Nor could I really care too much about everyone that’s treating his story and the movie about it like it’s freaking gospel. And you know you’re appositely right that I didn’t bother to look too deep into the story. I just saw some comment in passing about it and assumed something I shouldn’t have. My mistake.

And here’s a thought for you… how about you keep your snarky comments to yourself about it before we turn this site into Fark. If you’ve got a legitimate correction or comment then so be it. Other wise keep your sewer shut.

So you didn’t give two raging shits about Chris Kyle or an article about him, but decided to click on the link, scroll to the bottom, type out a comment and then come back and defend it with another comment when others called you out on how silly it was?

I am sure that if Tibbets had a head stone it would have been vandalized. My neighbor who used to live across the street form my parent’s house actually loaded the A-Bomb into the Enola Gay with Tibbets present.

When Chris Kyle fought for his country and saved so many lives, he became a National Hero. When he wrote his book and Interviewed for the movie, American Sniper, he became even more of a National Hero. In that sense, the American public have the right to see that
their Hero is Memorialized properly. It is only fitting that he be given a stone to represent this man. We, the American people, can never repay this debt. It’s the least we can do.

I am starting to tire of the near deification of Chris Kyle, as if he was the only one doing his duty. Yes, he is a hero, but not because he was exceptionally good at his job, but because he chose to go outside the wire and put his ass on the line. So did tens of thousands of other Marines and Soldiers, and the anonymous PFC who walked point during night patrol in some god forsaken hell hole, or the truck driver ferrying supplies up and down an IED infested road, is no less of a hero, but he/she doesn’t get the recognition.

He gets the recognition and elevation above “just”hero status because of the book and the movie. Also, I believe that the adoration of Kyle is adoration and appreciation of what all of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines have done and continue to do. Most of them will go unknown, and very few will know the stories of their heroism. Chris Kyle became and continues to be a symbol, representative of all of those heroes who have done extraordinary things. Alvin York is the best known hero of WWI. The “Band Of Brothers” are probably the first group that comes to mind when people think of WWII. The rest fade into history, which is probably just the way they like it.

I don’t buy it.
The book was about Kyle, the movie was about Kyle, and this article is about Kyle.

Why so many articles about wanting a headstone for one man than a monument to all the veterans of OEF/OIF?
We have the Tomb of the Unknowns for WW1/WW2/Korea. I would bet more school children know about that than than Sgt York or Audie Murphy. Yet everybody know everything about Chris Kyle.

The chosen symbol for all veterans is a remorseless killer who bragged about committing war crimes, libeled a public figure for criticizing the war, and made up fantasies about shooting looters and carjackers.

We had to work very hard to get a stamp to honor , Audie Murphy , Why ! because it also honors all of us VETS. I came home from Viet Nam and no one even thanked me till about 50 years later…and I viewed it all as I did my job and went on to be a better American…Never asked for a CENT not worked for.

“Finally, his headstone may just not be there out of the family’s sorrow. I can certainly understand that, I think anyone can. But every week people go to see him to pay thier respects…”

And those people can do that just fine without butting in on the family’s sorrow. This is a better article than the incredibly tone-deaf (and frankly, bizarre) one posted yesterday, but it’s still wrong-headed. Chris Kyle doesn’t belong to you, I don’t care how important you think he is. His memory and affairs are best left alone to his loved ones unless they decide to involve others. He had a family and lots of friends, I don’t think he needs “The Truth About Guns” publicly questioning what remains none of it’s damn business.

If you find you can’t pay respects to a man without there being a piece of stone with his name inscribed on it go buy one and put it in you backyard. Or, to be less snarky, see if you can commission one to put in a park or something.

You guys just don’t seem to get it. You’re coming off as ghouls putting yourselves- and your ads- where you don’t belong.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a Government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased eligible Veteran in any cemetery around the world, regardless of their date of death.

Enough already! For pete’s sake people. I’m not understanding what the fascination is with a freaking headstone. It’s not there. If it was a problem, I assure you that the family would let the public know that it was wanted and not happening. Get off your National Enquirer quest and leave it the frack alone. Seriously. And I don’t give a damn if you served or not. It doesn’t give you the right to question the family’s wishes or requests. If they change their mind, and want one there, I’ll be the first one lining up and shouting for one to be placed there. Give it a rest.

“I visit Chris’s grave site about once a week, and I have since just after he died.”

Please tell us you knew him and that you grew up together or something like that?? Because if you did not, I am sorry, but that is weird.

He was a man. He was a Navy Seal which maybe 5% of the planet’s population can achieve. He loved his country from what I can tell. He was a good to great sniper that had lots of opportunity to rack up the kills. (right place at the right time). I salute him for all of that and NO one can take any of that away from him.

That said he was flawed, as we all are. He stated some SERIOUSLY questionable stuff that tarnishes his name and memory to certain degree.

His wife is NOT hurting for money. Last I read she was worth something like 6 million before the movie. To me she seems to like the limelight a bit too much.

The movie sucked IMHO. It trashed the book Hollywood style. Fury was 10x better if you want a good military war flick to see.

Personally between all the drama and the controversy I have had enough of Chris Kyle and the American Sniper. Let the man, the story and the drama rest in peace.

I am quite sure, given a major motion picture deal, book deal, and high- net worth individual friends of the family (including mr. “blue eyes” himself – for all we know, they could be recieving a percent of the movie take) and Chris’s numerous wealthy business contacts and various service friends, it is not a financial issue, but rather a personal choice, which does make sense, as perhaps they would not like to see a headstone defaced (as in Jim Morrison grave). I would guess they will place a nice stone in a few years after the awesome movie hype blows over. RIP mr. Kyle, and thank you for your service to this country.
Now, can we have some more gun reviews….pretty please?

Yeah this is a family issue. Not a blogger-for-TTAG issue. Leave them alone already. If I were his family, I’d like fewer people making demands about my murdered loved one and what they think should be done with his grave.

Don’t ask “Where’s his headstone,” because the answer is “That’s none of your concern.” We don’t own Chris Kyle or his legacy. The people who loved him do. Not the people who admire him. The people who loved him.

I can’t second guess the family they have been through quite a bit. All the training, the deployments, the ridiculously senseless murder, and a couple of relatively little kids in the bargain; I really don’t know how that woman can drive on the way she does. Equally I would have to imagine that she would want to include her children in such a decision and it may still be too much for them. At some point there is that moment when you really know they are gone, not just know but feel it and perhaps this is that pivot for her/them. They have to do what they think is best, not what is in any public interest, real or imagined. God speed to that good man and God bless his family, they still have a lot to face that neither the glow or notoriety or any sum of money can ease.

So RF posts that CK needs a headstone and that the widow Kyle needs to do something about it. Uproar ensues. He then deletes the wife line and posts that he “stands by his article”. Then pulls the post 15 minutes later.

Now you’re having a shill rewrite the story?

Classing it up TTAG. Classing it up.

As others have posted. It’s a family decision. 0% of any of us are family to the departed. It’s none of our business and you’re too narcissistic to let it go.

‘“We recommend two years, but in this case, the Kyle family was given an extension,” Walker says, adding the delay was design-related. “Essentially, what it boils down to is that headstones are closure for a lot of families and, you know, everybody’s different. Whenever you look at headstones, a lot of times, that’s the final thing. It’s the last part of the grieving process.”

Walker says Kyle’s gravestone will likely be up by the end of the month, will measure six feet tall and about 80 inches wide and will feature a bronze relief of Kyle along with a mention of his military service.’

Are you posting this here because in your concern you already tried reaching out to Taya Kyle and Jason Walker and they told you it’s NOYFB? Because knowledge of the exact second that a headstone goes up, IF one goes up, absolutely remains NOMFB. If his death was indeed so extraordinarily tragic then gossip and speculation like this is particularly unseemly, unworthy, pointless (unless you’re setting yourself up to take credit once it appears), and downright cheapening of a situation that didn’t need to get any messier. Couching this public pressure on the Widow Kyle as an “offer to assist” is just about as low as it goes.

What does all this have to do with guns exactly? How about moving all this to thetruthaboutegos.com so it’s easier to avoid?

I think it’s more honoring for him to not have a headstone – matches the other’s first mentality of a serviceman like himself. I will restate what other’s have said, visiting his gravesite weekly is a bit much.

Since you guys pulled my previous comment; in which I used the “F Word” multiple times, as that was the only word which lent the gravity needed to properly convey the level of your mental abilities, nosiness, and meddling; I am re-posting the gist of my comment, minus the “F Word”.

The more I think about this second tabloid “article” posting, the more it pisses me off. Apparently you guys do not have the FnCKING mental capacity to grasp that the readers of TTAG do not care for, or approve of your questioning of the Kyle families decision to not have a headstone. Enough of your FnCKING National Enquirer “reporting” and nosiness. Seriously. Unless you are a member of the Kyle family, you have no say in this. It’s none of your FnCKING business!!! Or mine. I assure you, if they wanted it placed there and were having trouble making that happen, they know all they would need to do is say so. They haven’t said so. Who in their right FnCKING mind would try and meddle in something like this? As nobody on TTAG staff is a member of the family, nor close friends, I strongly FnCKING suggest you stay out of it. And I don’t give a damn if you served or not, you should know better than to stick your nose in something like this. How would you like it if thousands of strangers were questioning your families decisions if you had died in combat?

I’ll point out that it isn’t “thousands” of people questioning the family’s decision, it’s TWO people who seem to be suffering from the same mental illness proggies suffer from–they won’t mind their own business, and think the family should be forced to cater to THEIR feelings on the matter.

As I said before both of them owe the family an abject public apology that doesn’t disappear down the memory hole.

SteveninCO has it right. This story like the one from yesterday pretends to know better than Kyle’s loved ones.

Just yesterday RF wrote this in his article about Shannon Watts: “Of course, Ms. Watts isn’t into letting adults make their own decisions either. She wants to make decisions for them.” You were dead on with your criticism Mr Farago but apparently you and Mr. Taylor only see it as a problem when those you disagree with are sticking their nose in where it doesn’t belong. I’ll say it again: Butt out. This is not a matter of public discussion. This is a family matter that has no business being discussed in an article on TTAG. The first article was horribly tone deaf. The second while certainly stated in softer terms is still discussing publicly what is a family matter and worse telling them what they should do. Our government has zero business doing it and neither does TTAG.

Let the Kyle family exercise their freedom to make their own choices in peace. They have certainly given enough to us all already.

Original article was pulled because the comments got nasty, huh? How bad must simply negative become before achieving “nasty” status? I’ve seen plenty of individuals’ posts generate some seriously negative, some might even say nasty, feedback before, without anything being pulled.

Could it be that TTAG just couldn’t take the heat? And so the article gets pulled and the blowback slides down the memory hole?

How can we trust TTAG to tell the truth about guns, when TTAG has so much trouble addressing the truth about TTAG?

Wow, two days in a row. Wrongheaded, intrusive, disrespectful of the family, and down right stupid. I guess there is always one in the crowd. These days they get a voice on a well read blog. Pity. Of course there ain’t a word about Gunny Hathcock, of whom even Kyle said was a better sniper than himself. No not a word. I can’t even begin to think of what you two guys motivations are in this.

Everyone who volunteers for a job knowing they may give their life to protect mine deserves and gets my most profound respect. You all can decide for yourselves what you think your life and liberty are worth.

Not my place to judge another when I wasn’t there. The Me Lie (sp?) massacre, or any other. I don’t know what his orders were, what he saw and thought. Nor do I know if the Lt got a fair trial, or one that was best politically. And unlike civilians, military folks get no appeals. After >30 years in emergency medicine I don’t believe anything in the press. Never did they report what I’d seen with my own eyes. Sometimes the press reports are so far from the truth as to be unrecognizable. All I know for sure is the oath and risks he took, and what the press claims. Everyone comes out of the army broken, common wisdom in El Paso. My daughter was a combat medic for 7 years, and she’s in bad shape. Sorry for verbose answer. Just ‘splaining, not flaming or looking for a fight. Hope your experiences are better than mine.

Sorry about your daughter. I wasn’t flaming you either. I am a bit conflicted on the subject myself and don’t actually have strong ‘feelings’ on it, but I do think about it a lot. My military experience was in relative peace time and I missed/was spared all the hard stuff.

Paul, you realize that when they’re bombing children and killing people for having the “wrong” skin color or religion, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with protecting American citizens our our “freedom” (what little remains), right?

They fight for our freedoms…but I think they do it wrong. Everyday something new banned, something new we’re not allowed to do or say while they serve the masters who diminish us. Who want’s to die for a mixed economy, for freedom in name only? I no understand how you can risk your life, and take others, on orders given by politicians whose politics you don’t agree with.

You all would be suprised at how often this type of thing happens. No marker placed for hometown hero X or gunshot victim Y placed by the family. Use your heads for something other than a hat rack and figure it out.

Whether or not our military has been used wisely since ww2, and I will heartily agree the Iraq invasion was the wrong war, we still need the military and should support those in service. Not the pols, but the men and women in service.

Think of what the world may have become between 1945 and now if the US had disbanded or severely curtailed it’s military. Think of Mao or Stalin unchecked.

What inviting prize the US, disarmed, would have been. Whether we rugged ‘murican types realise it or not, we needed the military.

And yes, I did serve. At a time when my fellow countrymen thought it was alright to call us names, call the families of our dead and tell the grieving how their sons deserved their death.

Was Kyle a hero? Does he deserve a statue? How the phuck should I know. I never knew him. But what I do know is that a great many of the commentors here on TTAG in the last couple of posts anout Kyle covered themselves and their parents in disgrace with the comments they felt free to post.

Think of what the world may have become between 1945 and now if the US had disbanded or severely curtailed it’s military. Think of Mao or Stalin unchecked.

If they had attacked the US, we’d have dealt with them. However, contrary to your view, the US government does not have the right to force their desires upon the world. We’re one country out of nearly 200 – we are NOT the United States of Earth. It’s also amusing that you criticize Mao and Stalin for wanting to force their views on others, yet you openly support the US government doing the same. Are you truly that blind to realize that there’s no difference? Both Mao / Stalin and the President (regardless of party) and Congress believe that their way is right and MUST be forced on everyone and those who resist should be killed.

What inviting prize the US, disarmed, would have been.

Yes, because it’s not like we had millions of armed and trained citizens who could fight back or the ability to call up troops if needed. That was sarcasm, FYI.

And yes, I did serve.

Which is why your opinion is biased. You were taught that the government is always right and anyone who disagrees should be killed – that was literally your job description as a soldier. It’s highly unlikely any amount of civilian living would undue that brain washing of “Do not ever question the government!”.

Heroes are known by their deeds. Cowards are known by their misdeeds.

Too true. It’s cowardly to commit murder or invade someone’s home just because a corrupt politician told you to. It’s cowardly to say “I was following orders” when someone holds you accountable for your actions. The military worshipers here always love to proclaim that “Soldiers can say no to unjust orders!”, yet none of them ever DO. They just shout “SEIG HEIL!” and then once again quote the Nazi line of “I was just following orders” when their immoral actions are pointed out. That’s why I do not respect our military, because they love to proclaim themselves heroes and demand that they be worshiped, yet they’re unthinking dogs that simply obey orders – they lack the spine to say “No” and they lack the ability to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution, otherwise instead of having spent decades standing by politicians as they take away more and more of our rights, they’d have told our corrupt politicians that they WILL rescind laws that violate our rights or they WILL be forcefully removed from power.

When US soldiers stop blindly obeying politicians, pissing on the Constitution, and demanding that the people who pay them (US taxpayers) worship them for being the lapdogs of corrupt politicians, THEN I’ll respect them. Their job is to DEFEND the US from enemies both foreign and domestic, yet instead they spend their time invading the homes of people who pose no threat to us and follow orders that make them the very domestic enemy that they swore and oath to fight.

Yes, call up millions of trained citizens after an enemy force has crossed our borders. And where did those millions get their training? How about artillery and air? Set aside that childesh nonsense for the moment.

What about your desire for the military to affect regime changes here at home? It’s called a junta in other parts of the world. In our country the military is subordinate to the civil .gov, not the other way round.

And who is the civil .gov subordinate to? Us. If the .gov is taking freedoms and misbehaving it’s because we allow it.

Blaming the military, especially the rank and file, for the loss of freedom here is like blaming the janitor when a corporation fails.

People always want to point a finger and blame others. In the case of America the others is all of us.

You’re adorable, you think that US citizens have any control over what the government does? The politicians pick who we’re allowed to vote for and then they all have almost identical policies regardless. If Americans had any control over the government, we wouldn’t have over $14 TRILLION in debt and politicians passing laws that make themselves above the law.

“Snarl hate at soldiers”? You mean the people who willingly sign up to murder anyone a politician tells them to? Jesus, pull the flag out of your ass and think rationally. These are people who know exactly how corrupt politicians are and they choose to obey their every whim without question. The soldiers are far more guilty than the politicians because all a politician has are words (either spoken on written) and those words mean nothing without the members of the military and police being willing to use violence to force others to obey the politicians.

If we were talking about ANY other profession, you’d be right beside me saying that “Following orders is no excuse for immoral behavior”. You’d be first in line to hold a Financial Analyst on Wall Street accountable for his actions even though he was just doing what his boss told him to, yet when it comes to those who kill for the government, suddenly there’s no accountability for anyone’s actions – it’s all “Blame the officers”, then “Well they’re just doing what they’re told, blame the politicians!”, then “Blame the people who vote in rigged elections!”. Any excuse at all to keep from holding murdering thugs responsible for the crimes they commit.

And once again, pubes, all your doing is the blame game. No constructive solutions. And those pols that give the orders do so in your name. You, the American citizen. But your stock, leftist answer is to blame the guys at the bottom.

Get back to me when you’ve come up with a more original line. You’re sounding like a tired radical. All blow, no show.

Perhaps the Kyle family was waiting for this painful trial to end….for closure. Maybe now, they can turn the page and complete the journey, and prepare an appropriate, permanent, remembrance for Chris, and they will now be at peace to say their final goodbyes.

There’s no knowing their reasons for doing what they have done, or not doing what they have not done. The point is, it’s NOT our place to tell them what they should do. I believe in respecting Chris Kyle by respecting his family’s wishes, and second guessing them here, as JWT did today and RF did yesterday, ain’t that.

May I ask a completely neutral question?: What’s the big deal with Chris Kyle? He wrote a book he was pretty damn good at killing people. I respect as I would respect any other veteran who fought for this country, but why is he portrayed as some 21st century version of Jesus?

I dunno about you, but if another country invaded America, I still wouldn’t resort to torturing people of different political or religious persuasion with power drills, plant bombs in wheelchair bound civilians to roll into a polling station, use women and children as cover and plowing through children receiving candy from U.S. Soldiers to detonate a VBIED. Some of their stuff bordered what the Mongol did to cities and individuals that failed to yield to them. Than again, you might all suffer from moral equivalence syndrome and think even that level of violence is still hero material.

And yes I understand the Revolutionary War wasn’t as clean as time tends to gloss over, but the Patriots never descended to the level of barbarism the Iraqi insurgents justified themselves to do.

The late Cris Kyle was brave,an excellent marksman, and a liar. One of his lie’s recently cost his family $1.8. million. Righfully so.
I don’t think he deservs any type of monument.
He DOES deserve a US Gov issued headstone, free to his family, as an honorably discharged veteran.
I will never visit his grave.
ETA: I did read his book, and saw the “C+” quality movie of it.

No, we don’t need to honor someone who himself had no honor. He lied in his book, was proven to have lied with his false claims about Jesse Ventura, and had his friends lie for him. Also, Ventura did not “sue” Kyle’s wife; Kyle died, so the defamation suit carried over to his estate, which his wife became executrix of, knowing ahead of time about the lawsuit.

Kyle’s proven lies in his book cost Ventura and HIS wife and children money by way of cancelled speaking engagements, etc.

Grow up, think for yourselves, and by all means, confer hero status on those who deserve it, not everyone that you’re fooled into giving it to. That waters down the meaning of the word for those who actually deserve it.

The man’s a public figure. It’s natural to ask in public why he doesn’t have the funeral monument that is customary for the dead in this country. Technically it’s the family’s decision but their actions in capitalizing on his story have made him, whether for good or ill, a public figure, which means that the whole country has a certain “stake” in his legacy. The vitriol directed at TTAG on this post is amazing to me.

That being said, I don’t think that serving as a mercenary in the American Armed Forces makes one a “hero” any more than any other dangerous job. And the man’s record is decidedly mixed, to boot.

I agree whole heartedly. The man participated in an invasion and occupation of foreign country that was of no threat to America. The founders would be rolling in their graves knowing that America would be participating nation building in places as disparate as the Middle East. Chris Kyle was just another zombie working for the government and not questioning anything he was told to do. He produced nothing of value for anyone.

I don’t need anyone defending me overseas. That is what the 2nd Amendment is for and I can take care of myself just fine thank you very much. If the 2nd Amendment in its current incarnation wasn’t so neutered with restrictions and “sporting purposes” I would have purchased bazookas, MANPADS, grenades, machineguns, a tank or two, and would have every angle covered of defending myself even more efficiently than I do now.

ISIS is the creation of US government policy. If the US didn’t invade Iraq, ISIS would never have existed.

Chris Kyle created more terrorists than he ever killed. That’s because he didn’t kill any terrorists. Ignoring the unarmed civilians he murdered (each of which was a war crime), the armed people he shot were legal combatants defending their homeland against an illegal invasion. All of whom were better people than Kyle could ever hope to be.

All of you “my country, right or wrong”, jingoistic-types are UN-AMERICAN; being an American means questioning and scrutinizing the government, that’s one of the basic tenets upon which this country is founded.

Blind obedience to the state and marching in lockstep, bleating propaganda lines is as un-American as it gets.

God of mall ninjas don’t deserve any respect. He was also a dumb shit who never fired a decent .308 semi auto in his life. Kyle represents what every Call of Duty player wants to be but can’t because they didn’t get lucky like him.

I know this was posted a couple of years ago, I’m sure no one comments on this anymore, but if you do..I would have to say that their is so many disrespectful people out there. The article did not ask for your feelings about his headstone. I would feel ashamed of myself for posting some of y’all comments. He did his job protecting his country just like cops. None of y’all was out there standing up for your country. I’m a 35yr old mother I had 2 boys, my oldest son passed away Feb 5,2013 at the age of 14yrs old. He does not have a headstone yet and it’s been 3yrs. As a mother it kills me to go to his grave and him not having a headstone. You people with your smart-ass comments about his life what he deserves and don’t…he deserves a headstone just like anyone else. Maybe if it was yalls son, y’all wouldn’t be saying shit . .I hope y’all never go through that lifetime pain, but if by sum tragedy happens and you loose your child, remember what you posted on this site. Pray for y’all heartless people.